Jubilife Breeding Center.
That afternoon, Li Wei made some time to take Dawn to the battlefield, deciding to put her through some crash training.
Diancie stood beside Li Wei, waiting quietly.
Joining Li Wei in helping Dawn get ready was Saiko's rival, Lily.
Lily had originally offered to design Dawn's dress for the Pokémon Contest, but Saiko had refused.
"If she makes her grand entrance in a dress by a famous Pokémon Style Designer and still loses, it'll be too much of a blow for her."
That was the reason Saiko had given.
Lily put her hands on her hips helplessly and sighed. "You're making too much of it."
From what Lily knew of Dawn, setbacks might discourage her for a while, but she would surely pick herself up and come back stronger in the end.
Li Wei agreed with Saiko, too.
It wasn't that Lily couldn't design a dress for Dawn.
But she should wait until Dawn had gained experience by entering Pokémon Contests and was ready to compete in the grand festival.
That would be Lily's moment to shine.
While Dawn was changing,
Lily and Li Wei talked quietly as they waited at the battlefield.
Lily asked curiously, "How well do you think Dawn will do in her debut?"
Li Wei considered it for a moment. "The semifinals of the second round, probably. With a little luck, she could reach the finals, but I think she's still a little short of winning a Ribbon."
The first round would select eight contestants for the second round, where they would face off in a single-elimination tournament to decide the winner.
There was certainly some luck involved. Getting into the finals wasn't that hard if you drew the weaker half of the bracket.
Lily smiled. "You've got pretty high hopes for